As the button was pressed, the counter on the Hunter Box began to tick, changing from 00:00 to 03:00 before disappearing. Yi Xing closed his eyes and silently counted using his own method. Feeling that it was about time, he confidently pressed the stop button.
Everyone in the audience held their breath, staring at the number displayed on the counter. This was crucial for whether they could get an extra minute of hiding time. Yi Xing wasn't entirely confident in his success either, so he got into a ready-to-run pose.
The Hunter's Eye displayed above slowly opened, revealing a time of 20:78. Immediately, everyone behind him erupted in cheers, relieved to have earned a brief moment of rest.
Yi Xing turned around and spread his arms. A figure rushed into his embrace, giving him a big hug and praising him nonstop.
"Xiao Xing Ge, you truly live up to your reputation!"
"Hey, keep it low-key, low-key. I've always been strong. Others might not know, but don't you know, Qian Xi?"
The two returned to the center of the team, and other team members also gathered around, talking over each other, all praising Yi Xing.
"Alright, alright, we can celebrate later. Our top priority now is to quickly enter the game area. The Hunters are about to be released."
Huang Xiaoming wasn't present this time, so the important task of managing the recording pace fell to Luo Jin. After all, he was popular.
"Jin Ge is right. We should first familiarize ourselves with the situation in the area, so we don't run into a dead end when we're trying to escape later." Yi Xing nodded in agreement after hearing this.
As soon as he finished speaking, the veterans who had previous experience rushed to the front, quickly running into the game area. Only the six new friends, who were joining for the first time, remained. Without personally experiencing how fast the Hunters ran, they wouldn't understand the actions of those ahead. They would only wonder if there was a need to run so fast, as the Hunters hadn't even been released yet.
One minute passed in a flash. A large amount of dry ice was sprayed in the opening game area, and four Hunters were released, rushing into the area. They then slowed their pace and started walking, as they hadn't locked onto any targets.
As soon as the Hunters were released, Yi Xing's phone on his arm simultaneously received two messages. One was about the official start of the game, and the other informed everyone that they had something on them.
"Each team member has 10 coins in the box at their waist, which can be circulated within the game area. Please allocate and use them yourselves."
"Wow, Yi Xing, there really is money!" Ju Jingyi took out 10 copper coins from the box. The production team had done a pretty good job with the props.
Yi Yang Qianxi picked up a copper coin, examined it carefully in the sunlight, and then asked, "Xiao Xing Ge, are these coins used to buy clues or props?"
That's right, the three-person sub-team from the previous episode was reunited at this moment. After all, they had developed some tacit understanding and cooperation, so it was best for them to stick together.
"Possibly, but this money should be very useful. You guys should spend it sparingly. There should be places to earn money in this area. Once the mission is released, I'll go scout around." Yi Xing, through reasonable deduction, quickly guessed some unannounced information.
"Okay, I understand."
What Yi Xing said made Xu Ke a little restless. If it weren't for the fact that this script was only known to a few directors, he would suspect that there was an insider in the production team who had leaked some information to someone in advance. He frowned, feeling a headache coming on about the subsequent editing work.
If this passage were released, some uninformed people would think that China Speeding Up was a staged variety show, where the guests were given pre-arranged scripts, and Yi Xing was playing the role of the brains, which could easily cause public opinion controversy. If handled properly, it could also become a hot topic for the show. Of course, these were not things that the people on the screen should worry about.
Compared to others' cautiousness, Tian Liang seemed to be at home, chatting on the left and looking around on the right. He saw two foreigners on the road and even had a drink with them, completely relaxed.
"Tian Liang Ge, aren't you afraid of the Hunters?" Just then, Yi Xing and his group walked nearby and, seeing this leisurely scene, couldn't help but ask.
"Not afraid. I don't think the Hunters can necessarily outrun me."
Tian Liang's single sentence completely left the other party speechless, who then replied, "Then be careful. We're going to wander around elsewhere."
"Go ahead, go ahead."
As they left, Ju Jingyi tugged at Yi Xing's clothes and whispered, "Tian Liang Ge is too calm."
"Well, that's why he's an Olympic champion. I can't even compare to his mentality. But we don't have his strength, so it's better to be careful."
With 92 minutes remaining in the game, Mission One was sent to everyone's phones on time. Yi Xing couldn't help but stop and read it carefully.
"A dispute has occurred among residents at the city gate. Accelerators need to give Bai Mofei and Lu Yingying 35 coins. If the team members fail to complete the mission within 10 minutes, the city gate will be permanently closed, and team members will only be able to move within the existing area during subsequent missions. Team members can decide who pays."
After reading the specific content of the mission, he looked at the two people beside him. All the money they had together was not enough for 35 coins. They needed to find at least one more person.
"Let's go back and find Tian Liang Ge!"
At the same time, on the other side, another trio, also a two-male and one-female combination, was Luo Jin, Dou Xiao, and Xie Na. However, these three were not so lucky. Not long after receiving the mission, a Hunter actively came to their hiding place.
After a battle of wits, the Hunter entered a house. Luo Jin and Dou Xiao ran in different directions. Unfortunately, the latter's direction was directly connected to that house. As soon as he turned a corner, he met the Hunter who had just come out. He was immediately targeted, and a fierce chase ensued, making him the first "lucky one" to be eliminated.
Xie Na witnessed the entire process of Dou Xiao being caught. She now understood why those teammates had run so fast at the beginning. The Hunter's speed was simply too fast, and he was wearing leather shoes. Coupled with the rain last night, the ground was still wet. Despite so many unfavorable conditions, he was still able to catch someone, which showed how strong his abilities were.
Yi Xing, who had walked back hoping to get help from Tian Liang, didn't see him. So he searched along the road, but for a long time, he didn't see any teammates. They encountered numerous difficulties before even starting the mission.
"Xiao Ju, Qian Xi, let's go to the city gate and see if we can find some teammates. We need to finish this mission soon," he said urgently. There were less than five minutes left until the mission deadline, so they had to hurry.
The three quickened their pace towards the city gate, not forgetting to pay attention to their surroundings along the way, hoping to encounter a few teammates to gather 35 coins to complete the mission.